LA A Veritable Sushi Bar

 Los Angeles is known for many things. Sunny weather. Laid back lifestyle. Now it's known for its' wide range of sushi. This is just ordinary rolls but ones that transcend artistry and taste.

Chef herself and regular contributor Tejal Rao wrote about the city's thriving sushi scene in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Not surprisingly Los Angeles has had this type of cuisine since the early 1900's. It stopped in the 1949's when Japanese Americans were bused off to internment camps. It was only until 1966 when Noritashi Kanai opened the country's first modern sushi bar, Kawafuku in the city's Little Tokyo section.It not only offered Japanese fish but tuna bellies from Boston which chefs at the time looked down on. he also offered sea urchin which only Italian immigrant ate. Not far away  the California  roll was born at Ichiro Matsura's counter . He subbed in avocado for tuna for those who wanted  a fishless bite. Osho followed in 1970,in the shadow of 20th century Fox studios. It not only attracted actors and producers but also more ambitious sushi chefs to LA. It went from immigrant status to a novelty in the 1980's along with being a culinary accessory to a certain kind of lifestyle. Now's it's everywhere. Even drugstores sell it now. There are caviar laced omakases and cream cheese buffered hand rolls coming from ghost kitchens. There are pop up and home kitchens selling the rolls.

Another interesting thing is that Los Angeles sushi is varied, unlike what's being served to the rest of the country. Most of us are eating salmon and tuna filets. A great Angeleno sushi chef will offer up a buffet if shrimp, crab, clams, abalone and scallop along with such unusual choices as mackerel and trout, There's also snapper and liver, eggs and milt, the reproductive gland of male fish. A really good sushi chef is known for his range and skill. stylish local chefs at Nobu Matsuhisa' restaurants also employ citrus juices, herbs, oils , and vegetables. Nobu Matsuhisa also fine tunes techniques that he learned in Peru for a different vibe. Other sushi chefs do the same.Morihiro Onodera who runs a restaurant of the same name hand polishes his rice every mroning in his restaurant's dining room. This is done through a small mill. He also opens his meals with a gelatinous cube, whether it's a  custardy tofu or  tomatoes set in jelly. There's also cubes of okra and salmon eggs. he torches fish so that they simmer with char and bubbles of fat.Then there's take out sushi, made luxurious by chef Yoshiyuki Inoue. These are varied and look like a box of chocolate bonbons. These are delicate pieces of various fish like squid and eel or halibut and eel on tiny perfect beds of rice.

Sushi is everywhere now. Yet it's  Los Angeles that's offers a variety of delicious  pieces skillfully made.It is a place to go to , jsut for it alone.

Vive Le Cuisine Belgique!!

Belgian cuisine is as diverse as the country itself, influencing the world with their  chocolates,frites and waffles. There are also influences from neighboring countries of France, Holland and Germany, but reworked to a distinctly Belgian taste. It is a cuisine of the sea and the land, perfectly married together.

Belgium was one of the first ":manufactured" countries, having been established in 1830. The original people, the Belgae were a Celtic-Germanic mix of people.Through centuries and the French Revolution the country either belonged to France or The Netherlands.It  finally came into its own during the Belgian Revolution of 1830 when the  French  nationals of the country's southern region overthrew the despotic rule of the Dutch king William I. The Dutch influence is still felt in some of the cuisine, especially the seafood.Mussels or moules are huge  throughout the country and feature largely in stateside Belgian restaurants , especially in the Manhattan ones. A pot of steamed mussels in white wine,or moules Marniere  is a treat.It is a savory and briny blend of plump mussels steamed in white wine, garlic, tarragon and parsley. Some chefs add cream to it for more lushness. Eels are also popular  as they are served in an herbal green sauce, rich with spinach and parsley, tarragon and dill . Mint and sage are also added for more flavor along with an onion. A truly hearty dish is carbonade flamande,a take on the famed French dish, boeuf Bourguignon. It  loaded with beef and onions along with beer and mustard.Thyme and bay leaves are also added to it, and it's served with a crusty baguette.

Of course most of these dishes are served with the famed frites or fries, first made as early as 1760. This is where America gets its' fries from however there is a slight twist. Pomme frites are served with mayo along with other sauces that features tomatoes, garlic , peppers and pickles.. They are usually bought from friteries , stands or restaurants that feature them along with kebobs,carbonade flamade as well as meatballs , hamburgers and sausage.Many Belgian home chefs have fryers at home and make them fresh on a regular basis, using beef fat for the frying oil. This gives them a more meatier flavor. Waffles are another Belgian import, beloved around the world. The original recipe produces a lighter crisper version usually served with fresh whipped cream, strawberries and occasionally a dark chocolate sauce, Chocolate, too , has put the country squarely on the map of culinary contributors.It's been associated with the country since the 1630s when the country was under Spanish rule and raw cacao was being brought in from Mesoamerica. It was Belgian chocolatiers who gave us the praline, a chocolate dipped nougat and the fancy ballotin box.


Belgium cuisine has influenced the world. It's is an amazing blend of cuisines , and influences  melded together to  create a mouth watering array of savory and sweet . We have them to thank for our favorites, from our waffles to our fries to our chocolates.!


Stay strong Belgium, our hearts and thoughts are with you, toujours!

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A New Kind Of Deli

Walk into any deli and you're going to see the usual stuff. There's a display case of mayo drenched salads, and an array of deli meats. What you won't find is chaga or even a tank of live eels. Where could you be? At Harry & Ida's , a deli restaurant mash up that's an East Village staple.

Jeff Gordonier  wrote about this interesting and mind blowing deli in Wednesday's  New York Times Food section. It was created by Will and Julie Horowicz and named for their great-grandparents who were deli owners themselves. The newest generation keeps certain culinary traditions such as hefty brisket sandwiches, fresh killed and smoked eels and brined beef tongues. The first won Mr. Horowicz the top prize in the Brisket King of NYC competition. The deli's restaurant division Ducks is also garnering attention for its' barbecue, also winning recognition and second place at the Kingsford Invitational barbecue contest.The Horowicz's didn't come to their family's business easily.Ms. Horowicz was a Vassar grad , teaching English on the island of Reunion, off the coast of Madagascar. Her brother, a ping pong enthusiast (who has a fondness for playing the game au natural) had to come up with a snack heavy menu for the Flatiron district table tennis hangout SPIN New York.After garnering knowledge at SPIN, they opened up Harry & Ida's , definitely a homage to the family business

What makes them different than their great grandparents deli is their choice of foods.It's not just traditional Jewish deli foods but others that are from the American South, Native American and Asian traditions.Chaga sits marinating in a jar as Will Horowicz turns this Russian fungi into a tea. It's certainly not the traditional Dr. Brown's celery and cream sodas that are standard issue at any New York City deli.There is skate(!) jerky along with cattails (!!!) marinate in brine,.  The last is a standard in indigenous cuisine and tastes like cucumber Pickled ,it'll fit in well in the Horowicz's deli, standing in for the traditional dill pickle. There are also brining crab apples, a sight not seen at any other eatery . Spruce , another North American food is also on the menu.. The brother and sister are big into foraging as well as fermentation, This is what makes the deli a stand out.They experiment, not selling for the everyday stuff like cole slaw and potato salad.

Harry and Ida's is a blend of new and old thanks to Will and Julie Horowicz. They blend traditional deli foods with new spins and ancient techniques. It's what makes their deli unique in a city full of the usual pastrami sandwiches.

Don't Cook That - Eat it Raw

Why cook when you can eat your food raw? That's the philosophy of some chefs especially those who don't want to heat up a kitchen duyring these sweltering days. Surprsingly enough you can  eat  just about anything without it having been near a stove. There are all sorts of dishes that benefit with just being eaten fresh - in fact there's more flavor to them

Sushi is one of the most famous raw dishes in the world. Eating this Japanese staple is now a worldwide occurrence with more people putting aside their fears of downing uncooked seafood.They love the taste and the slippery cold feeling of raw, just sliced  tuna and eel.along with the brininess of  fresh seaweed wrappers. People go mad for almost every kind and practically gobble it down without much thought of any side effects. Long before sushi made it;s debut here Americans were slurping down raw oysters and clams. These have been relatively safe to eat , especially with local waters being cleaned up.. Nothing beats a bucket of clams and a few beers at any beachside bar.

What about eating other "raw foods"? Steak tartare which does elicit a certain amount of squeamishness from some although it  is perfectly all right to eat.As long as the meat is from a clean and sanitized butcher as well as being pre ordered it's fine.It has to to come from the cow's sirloin, tenderloin and T-bone areas. It's them mixed with a raw egg- again perfectly OK and seasoned with fresh chopped onion and spices. Carpaccio, is  a cousin to steak tartare and is now popular in many Italian restuarants across the world. It is sliced raw beef dressed with a creamy olive oil viniagrette and made at Venice's famed Harry's Bar by none other than its equally famed owner Giuseppe Cipriani.

This summer ditch the stove and have any of these raw dishes. They're  fine  and maybe even a little bit rebellious to eat a dish without being cooked. Just think of it as a new,cooler  way to eat during a heat wave

A Sushi Sampler

Sushi is one of those foods that's always on everyone's to try list. However so many are denying themselves this treat because they don't know what to order. Do they try a California roll? Should beginners start with sashimi? Is it OK to eat the seaweed?Sushi is pretty easy to navigate through, Once it's all mapped out. from then on , itwill definitely become a favorite. Sushi is more than just raw fish. It's sometimes a delicate combination of that, rice and seaweed along with other ingredients. There are several different types, ranging from rolled to stuffed to fish topped. Most Americans usually eat the rolls which are different fillings under a layer of fermented rice and nori seaweed. This is even divided up into two categories futomaki or thick rolled and hosu maki, thin rolled sushi. Fillings for both include mostly eel and tuna along with cucumber and scallion. There are also stylized American types such as the mayo (and sometimes cream cheese)and avocado stuffed California rolls and the Hawaiian rolls that features pineapple Other types are Kansai style sushi and Kanto style. The first can just be eaten raw or cooked and usually in a bowl. Sashimi is usually served over it This is just very thin strips or slivers of raw fish such as mackerel. halibut or salmon (other kinds such as eel are used too). This kind also has vegetarian maki for those who are still put off by eating uncooked seafood. Kansai style also offered the rice rolled in egg crepes it could also be put in fried tofu sacks. Kanto style is more seaweed oriented. This is where you can get it wrapped around a bar of rice Sea urchin roe is then ladled on top of this for color and taste . Kanto also offers nare zushi combination of rice , fish and seaweed fermented for several months before serving. Sushi shouldn't just be for the strong hearted foodie. It;s a delicious blend of different flavors and tastes that are addictive. Don't be afraid to try this exciting and tasty food. It's not scary ! It's just delicious!